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NEWS RELEASE: STILL NO JUSTICE FOR LOLAS 62 YEARS AFTER END OF WWII

STILL NO JUSTICE FOR LOLAS 62 YEARS AFTER END OF WWII The elderly women of Lila Pilipina, organization of Filipino victims of Japanese war time atrocities, and members of the militant women’s group, GABRIELA held a protest action in front of the Japanese Embassy today in commemoration of the 62nd Anniversary of the Second World War.

“Justice remains elusive for the Filipina ‘comfort women.’ Many of the lola’s have died but we must continue the fight for justice. Otherwise, we will not learn from the lessons of history and more women will suffer the fate of ‘comfort women’.” This was according to Ritchelda Extremadura, Executive Director of Lila Pilipina.

“The fight for justice of the lola’s should be the fight of all Filipino women. Calling for justice means calling for an end to the victimization of women in times of war. It means calling for an end to wars of aggression,” said Joms Salvador, spokesperson of GABRIELA.

According to Salvador, studies show that 80% of those affected by war – killed, injured and traumatized – are women and children.

Meanwhile, Lila Pilipina lauds the Gabriela Women’s Party for filing a House Resolution for the Philippine Government to urge the Government of Japan to “formally acknowledge, apologize and accept its responsibility over the sexual slavery of young women commonly known as comfort women.”

“It has been decades since the first Filipino ‘comfort woman’ came out and sought justice but the Philippine government has yet to officially take a stand on the issue. It is shameful for any government which cannot stand up for its citizens aggrieved by foreign military,” said Extremadura.

The House Resolution was filed yesterday by Representatives Liza Maza and Luz Ilagan of Gabriela Women’s Party.

The protest action of Lila Pilipina and GABRIELA is also part of the Global Action Day Demonstration on the issue of “comfort women” on August 15. Simultaneous demonstrations are expected in Tokyo and Osaka in Japan, Seoul and Busan in South Korea, Australia, Netherlands, Canada, Germany, Taiwan and USA.

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Maria Rosa Henson, or Lola Rosa, was the first Filipina Comfort Woman of WWII to come forward publicly on September 12, 1992. Because of Lola Rosa, many other Filipinas who had been living with this secret for over 50 years found the courage to come forward and finally speak their truth, finally ask for their apology, finally free themselves from the stories.

Here is an excerpt from her book, COMFORT WOMAN: Slave of Destiny (Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, 1996). This passage occurs in 1943. She's 16 years old and she has just been abducted and placed into a garrison, a former town hospital close to Magalang, Pampanga near Manila.

Without warning, a Japanese soldier entered my room and pointed his bayonet at my chest. I thought he was going to kill me, but he used his bayonet to slash my dress and tear it open. I was too frightened to scream. And then he raped me. When he was done, other soldiers came into my room and they took turns raping me.

The sun streams in through the wall-sized window, casting afternoon light on our family room. Outside the trees sway vibrant and green, shade a small figure of Mama Mary. She welcomes me too with arms stretched and hands waiting. Inside, noise percolates from every room of the house. I am home. From my suitcase I pull a salmon colored tapestry. When you first glance at it, the greens, blues and reds flash a beautiful montage of color. The folds unwind and reveal the fine embroidery.

I’m telling my mother and sister-in-law that when Lola Remedios learned I was coming, she began working on this piece as gift to me. It took her all six months to get this far in the tapestry. Every piece – every letter and image has been cut from other fabrics and painstakingly hand-sewn into the cloth. Except for the missing D where she has sewn, “(D)ecember 20, 1942, Dito Ako Nahuli Sa Lugar ng Baryo Esperanza,” it’s all there – the Dagitan River, green…

Lola Precsilla Bartonico was born on January 6, 1926 on the island of Leyte, Philippines. Here is an excerpt from Lola Prescilla’s testimony to the Japanese government:

One day in the late months of 1943 when I was about 17 years old, the Japanese soldiers captured us as we were hiding in one of the air raid shelters. We were only two women in that group who were all my relatives. They started raping my cousin while the other soldiers tied up the men. I was about 17 years old then. Then they tied me and one soldier raped me. I wanted to resist but I was too afraid to for fear of getting killed. After, they brought us to the town of Burauen and I was brought to the elementary school which they converted into garrison. We arrive in there late afternoon. I saw around 15 women who were also raped like what they did to me. After that, I was brought to the Home Economics Building and saw two women inside.

Then my suffering started at the hands of the Japanese soldiers. We were bein…